Becoming a Family of Plenty

My wife Nancy and I, both Presbyterian pastors,were restless for a change in our patterns of consumption.

Becoming a Family of Plenty

On December 27, 2007, my wife Nancy and I, both Presbyterian pastors,were restless for a change in our patterns of consumption. In a fit of post-Christmas shopping fatigue, we wondered together if we might be able to find more meaningful and faithful ways to spend our time, energy, and money. We scribbled down our ideas on a Starbucks brochure and four hopeful themes emerged: local, used, homegrown, and homemade.

At some point in the conversation I speculated, “What if we sought to live by these four rules for a whole year? Everything we purchased would have to be either local, used, homegrown, or homemade.” Some how this impromptu New Year’s resolution/manifesto stuck, and thus began a “Year of Plenty” in the Goodwin house.

Hopefully this gallery of ideas and experiences will spur you on to start your own unique experiments in pursuing a life of plenty.